March 24, 2014

Top dressing my flower beds with compost

I purchased 22 bags of compost and spread over my flower beds yesterday and today. I also spread it where I will be planting scarlet runner beans and cucumbers. While more expensive to work from bags, we find it much easier and the compost has "cured" a little longer, making it a better quality than bulk compost.
The compost add some nutrients, and I had spread some fertilizer over much of these beds last week.



I added a little bark to freshen up my little Japanese garden:

Mason bees are out (Blue Orchard Bees)

After hibernating for several months in my refrigerator, I set out my new mason bees. They've been very active for the past week. I'm lucky to have a little stream along the side of my property, so the females can get mud for placing in the tubes to separate their eggs. And I have plenty of blooming plants for them to get nectar.



Native Red-Flowering Currant

The birds and bees are happy that my red-flowering currant shrubs are blooming! I have more than 20 scattered around the hillside and native areas of my yard. They are a couple different shades of pink, as they are from different purchases from the Pierce Conservation Society native plant sales. They start out very small and grow quickly.